First Line: I wish I had known the future when an instant message (IM) popped up in the top right corner of my laptop screen on June 29, 2007.

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up Alexis by Alexis Singer. Yes I knew it was a memoir about her experience with an online predator but that was it. Most of what I know about online predators comes from shows like Dateline’s To Catch a Predator or an episode of Law & Order’s SVU both of which tend to show the after and never the how or why. And as you watch those shows its easy to sit back and think how stupid some of these girls can be to allow themselves to be lead into such a situation. But then its easy to judge when you are a third party viewer. Which is what makes Alexis such an important read for teens and parents alike.

It can be easy to think that online predators start big and that the people that they victimize should know better. What Alexis shows is that its never a big moment but like with so many things in life there is a slow build. A slow and steady drip that doesn’t seem like much at first until suddenly the pressure has built up so much that the dam breaks. Alexis is your ordinary teenage girl who is feeling a little lost and alone and so like so many teens she resorts to finding solace in online chat rooms. There is something so freeing in being anonymous and in finding comfort in people who seem to understand. It can almost be like a drug at times. By reading Alexis I understand just how easy it can be to be sucked in and Alexis’s story really highlights just how scary a place the internet can be.

The internet has become a fact of life and is only going to become more integral in the every day lives as time goes on. And as cell phones get smarter and computers get smaller its going to be even easier for the predators of the world to reach teens….and adults alike. So books like Alexis become crucial. Her story is one that can happen to anyone. as its all too easy to be lured in by a sympathetic voice on the other side of an Instant Message. So parents pay attention to what your children are doing online. You don’t have to hover over their shoulder every instant they are online but check their browsing history, know their passwords and pay attention to any changes in behavior. Teens, be open with your parents and don’t think they are stuffy or that they don’t understand. Its so much harder to be a parent in these modern times and so while you may think they are being paranoid they just love you and don’t want harm to come to you.

But its not just teens or parents who should read Alexis as her story is one that can happen to adults as well. Predators don’t just go after teens and while you might think that it won’t happen to you. Well, I’m sure that Alexis probably thought that too and believed in it until it did happen to her. The internet can be a huge resource and its so great to have the world at ones fingertips. But its not with out its dark side and everyone needs to be on guard. Alexis is an amazing story that is beautifully written. It is raw and honest and I devoured it in a single sitting. I was completely sucked into her story and admire her courage in putting it all down on paper for the world to read. Hers is not an easy story to tell and I am not sure I’d be brave enough to do it.

Additional Information:

Alexis Singer is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. At 19, she is about to begin her junior year at Chatham University where she studies political science and women’s studies. She attended the Pittsburgh High School for Creative and Performing Arts as a writer. She is a writer, a read, an activist, a feminist, and an avid home cook. Her heroes include AlicePaul, Conan O’Brian, and her mother.

Deborah Reber, editor of the Louder Than Words memoirs, is a bestselling author of nonfiction books for teens, including Chill and In Their Shoes. Visit her popular blog for girls, Smart Girls Know.

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